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Friday, January 30, 2009

Should You Go For A Mortgage Refinance?

By Ned Dagostino

Mortgage refinance is an option most house owners look at from time to time. The big question they ask themselves is: Should I? Well, that depends on the particulars of the case. Generally people go in for mortgage refinance either to save money on the interest they pay, or to consolidate sundry debts. The crucial factors that merit consideration when deciding the 'Should I?' question are noted below for your information.

Maybe you have a number of small monthly repayments and these are becoming increasingly difficult to manage. You can refinance the mortgage and get a loan large enough to pay off all the small debts at once. You can then concentrate on paying a single monthly repayment. This makes things more manageable.

You may have gone in for a variable rate mortgage plan when the interest rates were low. The interest rate in this plan is linked to the market rate. If there is a rising trend in the market rate which is not likely to abate, you may well change your mortgage to a fixed-rate plan in which the interest rate is equal to or less than the current rate.

Don't get carried away with the idea that refinancing is advisable for all situations, or that it will benefit you at all. There are many situations when refinancing can cost you heavily.

Many a time, refinancing companies fail to mention what the actual cost of refinancing is. You may think you have hit upon the perfect plan which will save you at least $10,000 over the next 10 years. Only, you find that you have to pay brokerage fees of $1200, a foreclosure penalty of $8000, and some other fees amounting to $1300 to initiate the refinance! So instead of saving $10,000 you actually end up losing (in a manner of speaking) $500! Even if you don't end up 'losing' money the amount of saving may be so low as to be negligible, in which case the whole refinance exercise is pointless and best avoided.

When you consider refinancing, the first thing to do is to survey the market. Find out all the plans and schemes being offered by different companies. Make a comparison chart showing all the salient features and savings of each plan. Don't restrict your survey to just your local companies. Go online and get information on various plans offered in your area.

Find out the total amount you'll have to pay upfront just to kick start the mortgage refinance. Some brokers conveniently forget to mention that brokerage fees will be taken before the refinance kicks in. Financial advisors fail to tell you that you have to pay a penalty when you pay off a mortgage before the maturity period. Forgetting to mention these fees and penalties is not a problem except that these are really hefty amounts we're talking of here. The total upfront costs can wipe out all your expected savings, and, in some cases, can actually make you incur a loss.

Refinancing will be beneficial for you if you are able to save more than you spend on all the fees and penalties involved in refinancing. One very important factor that you must consider is whether there are chances of your moving out before the refinanced mortgage expires. If there are good chances of your moving out soon, then, far from saving you money, the refinance is going to cost you a packet!

Refinancing your mortgage can be very helpful indeed. It can save you quite a bit. You should survey the refinance market very carefully and minutely. Find out all the options available to you. Find out all the fees and charges that will be taken upfront. Compute the savings you expect to make and then deduct the upfront fees to determine whether taking the refinance is a good idea. A wrong decision here, a single point overlooked, can mean ending up losing money with the refinance. Remember, refinancing is a very serious financial decision. The benefits differ from situation to situation, and sometimes even within the same situation.

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